City Council

The Ozawkie City Council (Governing Body) is made up of six members, the mayor and five council members.

A note from the Mayor and Council…

To run a small community takes the effort of all of us – the Council Members & the citizens. Council Members try hard to do what is best for the City, but we cannot do it alone.

We need help from all of the citizens. We need suggestions, volunteers & even complaints to identify problems and develop solutions.

Get involved by attending the monthly City Council Meetings.

To find out more information on what’s going on in our City, contact the Mayor, a City Council Member, or the City Office.

CITY COUNCIL DUTIES, POWERS AND CODE OF ETHICS

ADMINISTRATIVE POWERS. The governing body may designate whether the administration of a policy or the carrying out of any order shall be performed by a committee, an appointive officer, or the mayor. If no administrative authority is designated it shall be vested in the mayor.

CITY COUNCIL QUALIFICATIONS:

The governing body shall consist of a mayor and city council to be elected as set out in chapter 6 of this code.

The officers elected shall be qualified electors of not less than eighteen (18) years of age, a citizen of the United States and, for one (1) year immediately preceding the election of the officer, a resident of the City of Ozawkie.

PRESIDENT OF THE COUNCIL. The city council shall elect one of its own body as president of the council. The president of the council shall preside at all meetings of the council in the absence of the mayor. In the absence of both the mayor and the president of the council, the council shall elect one of its members as “acting president of the council.” The president and acting president, when occupying the place of mayor, shall have the same privileges as other councilmembers but shall exercise no veto.

VACANCIES IN GOVERNING BODY; HOW FILLED. The Mayor, with the advice and approval of the City Council, shall have the power to fill vacancies in the governing body. Said replacements shall serve until the predecessor’s term of election is fulfilled or until they (the replacement) shall in turn resign or otherwise vacate said position.

CODE OF ETHICS.

Responsibilities of Public Office – Public officials and employees are agents of public purpose and hold office for the benefit of the public. They are bound to uphold the Constitution of the United States and the Constitution of this State and to carry out impartially the laws of the nation, state, and city and thus to foster respect for all government. They are bound to observe in their official acts the highest standards of morality and to discharge faithfully the duties of their office regardless of personal considerations, recognizing that the long term public interest must be their primary concern. Their conduct in both their official and private affairs should be above reproach.

Dedicated Service – All officials and employees of the city should be responsive to the political objectives expressed by the electorate and the programs developed to attain those objectives. Appointive officials and employees should adhere to the rule of work and performance established as the standard for their positions by the appropriate authority. Officials and employees should not exceed their authority or breach the law or ask others to do so, and they should work in full cooperation with other public officials and employees unless prohibited from so doing by law or by officially recognized confidentiality of their work.

Fair and Equal Treatment –

Interest in Appointments. Canvassing of members of the city council, directly or indirectly, in order to obtain preferential consideration in connection with any appointment to the municipal service shall disqualify the candidate for appointment except with reference to positions filled by appointment by the city council.

Use of Public Property – No official or employee shall request or permit the use of city-owned vehicles, equipment, materials or property for personal convenience or profit, except when such services are available to the public generally or are provided as city policy for the use of such official or employee in the conduct of official business.

Obligations to Citizens – No official or employee shall grant any special consideration, treatment, or advantage to any citizen beyond that which is available to every other citizen.

Conflict of Interest – No elected or appointive city official or employee, whether paid or unpaid, shall engage in any business or transaction or shall have a financial or other personal interest, direct or indirect, which is incompatible with the proper discharge of his or her duties in the public interest or would tend to impair his or her independence of judgment or action in the performance of his or her official duties. Personal as distinguished from financial interest includes an interest arising from blood or marriage relationships or close business or political association.

Specific conflicts of interest are enumerated below for the guidance of officials and employees:

Incompatible Employment – No elected or appointive city official or employee shall engage in or accept private employment or render services for private interests when such employment or service is incompatible with the proper discharge of his or her official duties or would tend to impair his or her independence of judgment or action in the performance of his or her official duties.

Disclosure of Confidential Information – No elected or appointive city official or employee, shall, without proper legal authorization, disclose confidential information concerning the property, government or affairs of the city. Nor shall he or she use such information to advance the financial or other private interest of himself, herself or others.

Gifts and Favors. No elected or appointive city official or employee shall accept any valuable gift, whether in the form of service, loan, thing or promise, from any person, firm, or corporation which to his or her knowledge is interested directly or indirectly in any manner whatsoever in business dealings with the city; nor shall any such official or employee accept any gift, favor or thing of value that may tend to influence him or her in the discharge of his or her duties or grant in the discharge of his or her duties any improper favor, service, or thing of value. The prohibition against gifts or favors shall not apply to:

an occasional nonpecuniary gift, of only nominal value or

an award publicly presented in recognition of public service or

any gift which would have been offered or given to him or her if not an official or employee.

Representing Private Interest Before City Agencies or Courts – No elected or appointive city official or employee whose salary is paid in whole or in part by the city shall appear in behalf of private interest before any agency of this city. He or she shall not represent private interests in any action or proceeding against the interest of the city in any litigation to which the city is a party.